Buckle or strap fastening



1952 A. G. PEHACZEK BUCKLE..0R STRAP FASTENING Filed Dec. 28, 1950Inventor fi/oiz pehaczelf Attorney Patented Dec. 23,,1952

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE Application December 28, 1950, SerialNo.203,157 InGreat Britain January 5, 1950 '7 Claims.

This invention has reference to the construction of buckles foradjustably fastening straps and other pliable strip material by loopingthe strap over an end member of a buckle frame, the strap being securedwithout passing prongs, pins or like devices through the strap.

My invention is particularly applicable to buckles for adjustablyconnecting two strap ends together, one strap end being secured to thebuckle by looping it over one end member of the buckle frame andpermanently securing the loop by sewing, stitching, riveting or in otherknown manner, while the other strap end is adjustably fastened to thebuckle as stated in the preceding paragraph.

According to my invention, the buckle comprises two links of flattened Oor D shape hinged together, one strap end being adapted to bepermanently secured to one link, and the other strap end beingadjustably secured to the other linkwhich is made in one piece includinga pressure member constantly and resiliently urged towards the endmember of the link over which the adjustable strap end is looped, andalso including finger-operable means for releasing the pressure of saidpressure member towards the adjacent end member, between which twomembers the adjustable strap is passed.

The arrangement is such that, while the adjustable strap can be drawnthrough the space between the pressure member and the adjacent endmember of the buckle to tighten or shorten the strap connection, thepressure member holds the adjustable strap against slackening movementuntil the pressure on the pressure member on the adjustable strap isreleased by actuating the finger-operable means.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying explanatory drawings whereon:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view and Fig. 2 an edge view of one form ofbuckle according to the invention, the strap being shown in brokenlines. Fig. 3 is a further perspective view and Fig. 4 an inverted planview of the buckle shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectionalview on the line 5-5 of Fi 4.

In one convenient manner of carrying out the invention, as illustratedin Figs. 1-5, the buckle comprises two links In and H of flattened O orD shape made from sheet metal or stout wire or rod. In the drawings, thelink i0 is made of stout wire and the link H of sheet metal. The linkIt] is shorter and has a narrow elongated slot l2 through which one endof a strap I3 is passed and permanently secured. The other or longerlink II is made from a single blank passed through the slot I2 and thendoubled upon itself, so that the two links become hingedly attachedtogether. The doubling over of the metal of the link I I, which is madeof suitably resilient metal or other resilient material, produces upperand lower jaws l4 and [5, of which the upper jaw I4 is made slightlyshorter than the lower jaw IE to act as the pressure member. The longerjaw I5 has a slot l6 therein (Fig. 4) for the passage therethrough ofthe adjustable strap l3 which passes under the outer edge of the shorterjaw M, the strap being gripped between the ends of the two jaws. Thegripping edge of the pressure jaw l4 may be smooth, roughened orserrated. The slot It forms the lower jaw l5 into a form of D- shapedlink hinged at one end to the link I!) and provided at its other endwith an end member 15a which is preferably bent up at right angles atits end at I52) to give a better grip on the strap l3 which is passedover the end member I5a. Resilient outwardly urged wedges ll, oneextending from each side of the buckle, are arranged to be pressed underthe side edges of the pressure jaw M by thumb and finger pressure, inorder to raise the pressure jaw sufiiciently to release the adjustablestrap when it is desired to slacken the strap.

The resilient wedges I! are struck out of the sheet metal blank of thelink ll before doubling over, so that the wedges l'l extend inwards fromspring arms l8 attached at their other ends to the side edges of the jawI5.

My invention is applicable to adjustable strap fastenings of all kinds,such as wrist straps, stocking suspenders, book straps and the like, andis particularly useful for fastening tourniquets and like surgicalappliances, as the act of releasing the tourniquet can be effectedgradually by side-ward finger pressure and may be arrested at any stageof its action.

The model illustrated is particularly suitable for medical tourniquets,as compression of the tourniquet can be graduated with great precision,so that the surgeon can accurately adjust the pressure of the tourniquetto the required blood circulation in the constricted limb.

It will be noted that in the example illustrated the gripping of thestrap is effected by resilient means, by the elasticity of the springjaws l4 and 15. The strap is firmly gripped at all times, regardless ofwhether the strap is drawn tightly around an article, or is in a slackcondition. In contradistinction to the usual prongless buckles on themarket, which depend on the strap being tightened before the buckle willhold the strap, and which require the strap to be drawn even tighterbefore the buckle can be caused to release the strap, my inventionprovides a buckle which always grips the strap and which can be releasedwithout having to tighten the strap.

I claim:

1. A prongless buckle or strap fastening comprising a link adapted to besecured to one end of the strap, a second link composed of a singleblank looped through the first-mentioned link and folded to form a pairof resilient jaws one of which has a slot to provide a cross member atthe other end of said jaw, the other end of the strap being adapted tobe pressed through said slot and over said cross member,.said jaws beingconstantly and resiliently urged towards each other, and finger-operablemeans bent out of said blank to engage between said jaws for releasingthe pressure of said jaws towards each other.

2. A prongless buckle or strap fastening comprising a link having a slottherein providing an end member over which one end of the strap isadapted to be looped and secured, a resilient sheet metal blank loopedthrough said link and doubled upon itself to form a pair of pressurejaws one of which has a slot therein providing an outer end member overwhich the other end of said strap is adapted to be passed after beingpassed through the slot in said jaw, the other of said jaws constitutinga pressure member resiliently and constantly urged towards said slottedjaw and into contact with that portion of the strap which is positionedbetween the slot and outer end member of said slotted jaw, andfinger-operable resilient means bent out of said blank and normallyurged into an inoperative position and adapted under finger pressure tobe forced between the said jaws to separate them against closingmovement.

3. A prongless buckle or strap fastening comprising a flattened O-shapedlink, a buckle member hinged to the O-shaped link, said membercomprising upper and lower unitary jawsresiliently pressed together, thelower jaw extending beyond the upper jaw and having a slot therein inrear of the gripping edge of the upper jaw,

the gripping edge of said upper jaws normally pressing against saidlower jaw beyond saidslot, wedge means engageable between said jaws, andresilient finger-operable members unitary with '4 said jaws and normallyretracting said wedge means from contact between said jaws, saidfinger-operable members being operable by finger pressure to press saidwedge means inwards between said jaws to separate the gripping edge ofthe upper jaw from the lower jaw.

4. An article as specified in claim 3 wherein the upper and lower jawsare formed by doubling resilient sheet metal about onelimb of the O-shaped link.

5. An article as specified in claim 3 in which the member i formed froma blank of resilient sheet metal doubled over one limb of the O- shapedlink to form the upper and lower jaws, and said finger-operable membersare integrally formed from the blank.

6. An article as specified in claim 3 in which the outer edge of thelower jaw is turned up beyond the gripping edge of the upper jaw.

'7. A prongless buckle member made from a single sheet metal blank cut,shaped and bent upon itself to form a pair of pressure jaws, the upperjaw of which overlies and is shorter than the lower jaw, said jaws beingresiliently pressed towards each other at their forward ends by theresilience of a bend uniting the rear ends of said jaws and said lowerjaw having a slot and upturned lip at its forward endprojecting beyondsaid upper jaw, and said blank having upturned side portions united attheir rear ends to one of said jaws and free to spring outwardsresiliently away from said jaws, the front ends of said side portionscarrying inturned wedge-shaped projections adapted to be pressed betweenand to spread said jaws apart when said sideportions are pressed towardseach other against their inherent tendency to spring outwards.

ALOIZY G. PEI-IACZEK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES. PATENTS Number Name Date 1,235,820 Leibe Aug. 7, 19172,512,466 Nukanen June 20, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date43,285 Germany May 15, 1888 8,110 Norway Mar. 5, 1900 561,217 FranceJuly 31, 1923

